


The Untimely Death of Yu-Leiyu

by Tebi



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Explicit Language, F/F, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Mild Gore, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Pandaren - Freeform, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:08:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27668650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tebi/pseuds/Tebi
Summary: I'm sorry I don't know what to put here.Yu-Leiyu is a pandaren monk that awakens to find herself in a strange forest. She meets three strange creatures that help her process the knowledge that she is now in Ardenweald; a land in the spirit world that those with a strong bond to nature find themselves in after their death.
Kudos: 3





	The Untimely Death of Yu-Leiyu

**Author's Note:**

> Short story that details why and how my character Yu-Leiyu winds up in the Shadowlands, serving to explain her disappearance. This is mostly just full of oc's to be honest. The only canonical character mentioned, as well as mentioned briefly, is the Winter Queen, a main character within Ardenweald. 
> 
> Xia Sunbrew and Huoying Berrybrew are my own characters that I do roleplay on WoW. Zhenya, Miya and Ai are referenced during rp only, but they're still my characters. The characters in Ardenweald are just npc's. The mentioned characters; Kipter, Tycho and Danru are real players on Wyrmrest Accord, and of course they own their own characters, but they were still relevant.

For Yu-Leiyu Berrybrew, the last thing she could see was a glowing, white hot flash of light. The second last thing she could feel was an excruciatingly, blinding pain; as though she could feel her fur burn and stick to her skin, an immolation.  
And the last thing she felt was a cold, calming sensation that melted away into a comforting numbness.

  
  


_Fawn… wake up._

_Wake up!_

  
  


The monk felt something cold and wet press against her cheek, her skin twitching to the touch. Yu-Lei stirred for a moment before she took in a shuddering, needy gasp for air, clutching at her throat in a panic as she bolted upright. Her paws ran along her arms and legs, the sensation of her soft fur under her fingertips doing nothing to assuage the hitching sobs building up in her body.  
She couldn’t remember anything about the nightmare though, just the last few seconds of whatever awful thing had happened to her, but the terror and pain she felt still stung; the phantom pain fresh to her nerves.  
She clutched her head in her palms, patting across her face, her face contorting into another expression of panic, and she looked up, face to face with a blue furred fox. The pandaren yelped and threw herself backwards, finally taking in her surroundings. She couldn’t even begin to process what she was seeing at first, still looking down to the ground that she had woken up on, and back up to the towering, glowing blue trees surrounding her.  
“This.. this isn’t Orgrimmar.” She said to herself, rubbing her eyes with her fists and taking in the scenery once more. “My mask… where’s my mask?” She uttered to herself, stopping as she looked to the fox sitting on the ground, looking up to her.  
Yu-Lei froze, looking from the fox, to the blue forest trees around her, and up to the blue sky above her, trying to make sense out of the ethereal light that seemed to come from the flora in the area.  
Yet somehow that wasn’t important to her, at least not yet.  
“My mask, fox. Have you seen it?” She asked, knowing that she wouldn’t truly get a response, but stopped. Her jaw dropped, taken aback as the fox shook its head.  
“It- uh- it has antlers a-and a deer skull.” She whispered, gulping as she fox canted its head to the other side, shaking it again. She swore the fox looked her up and down, its eyes focusing on the space above her head, and Yu-Lei instinctively brought her paws up, her face falling as her paws only brushed through her hair.  
“You can understand what I’m saying, huh?” The ursine asked, letting out a humored huff as the fox nodded; and without understanding why, Yu-Lei felt herself easing up. She took a couple careful steps towards the creature, smiling as it seemed to be unafraid of her, and she sat back down. “This must be a dream. It must be. This place isn’t even like any forest I’ve ever seen. Not Val’Sharah. Maybe a little like… like Teldrassil. Before it-” She let out a sigh, shaking her head, unwilling to speak about the travesty that had occurred there. “This place just isn’t familiar.” She said, bringing her knees up to her chest, crossing her arms over them and resting her chin. Her ears flicked at the sound of rustling, watching the fox tumble forward and back, pouncing on a glowing blue flower, and then swiping at a fluttering butterfly.

  


“You’re kind of a little shit, aren’t you?” Yu-Lei asked, watching the fox play and chuckling as the fox stood upright, as though it were admonishing her language.  
“Playful too.” She added, flashing a smile before her face fell into a confused expression again. “Clever, if you can understand me… just wish I understood where the hell I am.” She sighed, repositioning her head to rest her forehead on her arms. “C’mon Yu-Lei, wake up. It’s clearly a dream. You don’t remember coming here. Remember what you were doing before.”

  
  


_Poor Fawn…_

  


She simply couldn’t remember. It was a full blank. She could remember falling asleep in some apartment within Dalaran with one of her friends, and even before that. Having spent that afternoon with her vulperan friends Kipter and Tycho; and the morning of worry after finding out that Orgrimmar had been abandoned by most civilians after the Scourge’s attack. Yet in the back of her mind, she knew that wasn’t it, that wasn’t the last thing she did. There was more; there had to be more. That day had ended normal enough; there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary because she could recall waking up from her nap, and spending the rest of the evening relaxing. She could even remember drifting off to sleep; yet waking up? For sure it was all blank, but perhaps she didn’t wake up- maybe, just maybe, this was still that very same dream.

  
  


_Uh oh..._

  


Her thought process was interrupted by the heavy weight of something heavy thrown against her head, and she sat upright, totally bewildered. The fox was tumbling away, and Yu-Lei was absolutely sure the creature was not only laughing, but staring into her eyes while doing so. “Did you just tackle me?” The monk asked loudly, her voice almost shrill with surprise. “What the actual fuck!”  
The fox looked taken aback again, turning its head away from Yu-Lei, kicking its hind legs into the dirt and flinging clumps of soil in the pandaren’s direction. “Hey! Cut that out. Why are you bothering me, what did I do? Can’t you go bother someone else who isn’t going batshit insane and scared shitless?” She shouted, picking up a wayward clump of dirt and tossing it back to the fox.  
It let out a yip as the dirt hit it in the side of its body, and Yu-Lei gasped and let out a squeal. “Ohmigosh, I’m so sorry! I’m so so sorry!” She cried out, rushing over to the fox and carefully reaching her paw out. “I didn’t mean to lose my temper, I’m so sorry. You’re just a fox, you don’t know any better. Even if you can understand me.”  
The fox seemed receptive, dipping its snout low and leaning its head into the palm of her paw, nestling in. Yu-Lei let out a sigh, rubbing her paw against the top of the fox’s head, sniffling as the fox gazed up and peered into her eyes. Her petting slowed into a stop, fixating on the fox’s eyes, almost entrenched.  
“This is… weird. You kind of remind me of my cousin. She well, she used to get on my nerves too.” She started, her paw moving along the spine of the vulpine creature, once again petting. “I never meant to yell at her for it, she was just playing. She was just younger than I was.” She said, letting out a sigh and looking down to the fox.  
“Do you have siblings?” She asked, pausing as she realized what she had just done and laughing, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, what am I thinking. You’re a wild animal, of course you do.” She said, her smile faltering as the fox dug its paw into the patch of dirt it created. She gazed at the drawn characters in the dirt, looking at the fox with confusion as she read the pandaren characters drawn in the dirt. “Sister? You had a sister… wait, you can write in pandaren?” She asked, her voice hushed as she looked up and around, unwilling for anyone in this strange place to happen upon her lunacy. “Wait, don’t bother with that answer. You have a sister.” She said, shaking her head and her paws. “Nevermind. Then you probably get it. Younger siblings they... take your eggs, your berries, nip your tail, don’t they?” The fox simply nodded. “Huoying was just like that, except not those things. Except for the berries, oh and the tail pulling.” Yu-lei nodded. “Loud, full of herself. Exceptionally smart. She wasn’t my sister no, but she was my cousin. We were practically like sisters. Oh she had a sister too though, and you know, she tormented her own sister maybe worse than she did to me. Probably because she could get away with teasing Xia so easily.” Yu-Lei had sat back now, the fox settled into a circle next to her, every so often nodding its head as it listened.  
“Gosh, the fights we got into when we were younger. Physical ones, you know, before she learned how to use magic. I’d sock her pretty good in the arm, mostly if not for her pissing me off, for her tricking Xia into something.  
“You’d think she’d learn not to. It wasn’t Xia’s fault she was born like that, not her fault she became blind either. Wasn’t very fair to her; but no, you’d just hear Huo go on about how they were barely real sisters, just half sisters. It was bullshit, especially because she’d go crying to her moms everytime I hit her to stick up for Xia.  
“Even then, I think she was just jealous. She was always possessive of Xia only when I showed interest in being sisterly with her. ‘She’s not even related to you, she’s my sister!’” Yu-Lei wiggled her head side to side as she made a mocking voice. “Well, why would she even treat Xia like that if she was going to get mad that she obviously enjoyed being around me more than her? It’s... It’s…”

  
  


_It was home, wasn't it Fawn?_

  


It was sunny and beautiful in Dawn’s Blossom that day. It almost always was, Dawn’s Blossom was known for being this picture perfect place that non-Pandaren seemed completely drawn to. There was nothing wrong with the influx of people from off the Mainland who moved in either, to Yu-Lei she thought it was amazing, beautiful even, that so many people from around Azeroth felt connected to the Pandaren and their culture. She knew that many were ready to welcome those who were willing to put aside the life of war that the Alliance and the Horde often found themselves encased by.  
Yet that isn’t why Yu-Lei was in Dawn’s Blossom. The monk found herself encircled from her emotions as she stood in front of one of many of her family homes. The Berrybrew family were rather well to do by any Pandaren standard, while the brewery hadn’t seen success like the Stormstout Brewery, they had found their own niche successes. The labor of love that had started generations ago in her family was still going strong; even if currently Yu-Lei’s own feelings of familial love were being tested.

She raised her fist in the air, ready to knock on the door and most likely be shouted at by her cousin Huoying before she stopped, the unmistakable sound of shovel digging into earth coming from the side of the house. Her curiosity was piqued, and Yu-Lei dropped her bags by the door, quietly stepping off the path and along the side of the house, walking along the grass. She peeked, narrowing her eyes as she spotted a familiar figure; a young pandaren woman- her cousin Xia.  
She couldn’t help but grin as she dropped her stealthy behavior, making sure to make a noise as she approached, tapping her claws against the side of the house. Xia stuck the trowel into the ground, digging into the hole she made and seemingly unimpressed with the clumps of dirt she pulled free, and repeated the process.  
“Xia?” Yu-Lei started, standing still as Xia sprung up, and bounded in her direction.  
“Lei-Lei!” Xia cheered, hugging her cousin tightly, and the monk giggled as she could feel Xia’s paws expressively ball up and wiggle excitedly into the small of her back.  
“What are you doing out here digging holes? You’re going to dirty up your robes.” Yu-Lei said, giggling as she pulled away and patted Xia on the head. She looked to the side, failing to see the need to hide her concerned expression as Xia absentmindedly stared just off to the side. The blind girl simply faced where she thought Yu-Lei was, at least where she had heard her, and from the quick scan of the yard, it appeared that she had been outside for a good hour or so; there were more than a few dozen holes dug.  
“Oh well, I’m looking for buried gold.” Xia said matter-of-factly, as though that fully answered any and all questions.  
“Well, I can see that, but why?”  
“Because I want ice cream.”  
Yu-Lei paused and nodded her head, her full attention once more on Xia. She was patient however, and her warm voice reassured Xia. “Well of course, ice cream is great. But why are you looking for gold for ice cream? Just ask Huo to go with you to the store. Surely she’ll want some.... too. “ Her voice trailed, eyeing Xia’s facial expression carefully to see the girl go from happy go lucky, to awkward and troubled.  
“Well- I did, but she said she wasn’t feeling great today. Kind of seemed uh, annoyed? So I said let’s go for ice cream, and she said not right now. So then I said I’d go, where’s the gold, so she said she buried it in the yard to keep it safe and if I find it, we can go.” Xia said, tapping the side of her head. “So I figured, I’ll find that gold real quick, and we’ll get going real soon. Then she’ll feel better and we can hang out more!”

Yu-Lei’s expression soured, her lips beginning to purse. Somehow, Xia recoiled, shaking her head.  
“Lei, no, don’t. She’ll be loud again, please don’t.” Xia pleaded, somehow already knowing what Yu-Lei was thinking, dropping the trowel as Yu-Lei stomped off. “Watch out for the-” She winced as Yu-Lei yelped, stumbling over a bucket. “Are you- oh you’re- oh jeez.” Xia muttered, shutting her eyes as she heard Yu-Lei’s fist pounding against the door.

Yu-Lei banged the door as hard as she possibly could, finding the doors unlocked and sliding them open, kicking her bag inside.  
“YOU TOLD HER TO GO LOOK FOR **FUCKING** GOLD? YOU CAN’T JUST TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO GO WALK OUT WITH HER?” Yu-Lei shouted, and outside the house Xia winced, covering her ears and whispering to herself as wisps of purple smoke started to envelop her, melding her into the shadows.  
Quick steps down the staircase, and a shrill voice could easily be heard from outside.  
“ **GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!** ” Huoying screeched, and Yu-Lei quickly ducked as a shoe was thrown towards her head.  
“No! No! Why the fuck do you keep treating Xia like that?” Yu-Lei yelled, walking crossing the entry way into the living room as she stared down her cousin Huoying from across the room, the mage standing at the foot of the stairs.  
“Like what?” Huoying snapped, her face held in a scowl.  
“Like.. like she’s a fucking problem. She’s your sister.” Yu-Lei said, crossing her arms, and Huoying nodded her head, matching Yu-Lei’s stance.  
“Yup, she is. She’s my sister, not yours. So mind your own fucking business.”  
“Oh shut the- you know what I meant. Why are you making her go outside to dig gold?” Yu-Lei asked, carefully watching Huo.  
“I didn’t. I just... lied about where there might be gold. She made up her own mind to dig up gold. It’s not really my fault she’s stupid.”  
Yu-Lei let out a breath, her maw quivering in response. She couldn’t even keep up her anger, simply shaking her head. “I don’t.. I don’t know why you do that to her.” Her voice broke, wavering. “She’s not stupid.”  
Huoying stood there rolling her eyes and pinching the brow of her nose. “Why are you crying? She’s not your sister, she’s mine. Quit worrying about it… I’ll go and take her for ice cream, fuck.” She said, exasperated. “It’s not even like she’s my real sister.”  
She’s not my real sister. She’s barely my sister. Just because we have the same dad doesn’t mean I need to coddle her.  
The memories of Huo’s excuses burned brightly in Yu-Lei’s head, and the monk chuckled and shook her head. “Sure, but when I want to be close with her, she’s your most favorite person in the world. You spoiled brat.” She said spat, her eyes wet with tears, breathing in and finally letting out the secret she kept. “You’re so stupid. You know she’s your twin right? Ai gave birth to both of you. Xia’s mom can’t have cubs; and your moms weren’t ready to raise two at the same time.” Yu-Lei shook her head, raising her paw up in Huoying’s direction, the mage standing still completely dumbfounded. “She’s your full on sister, and yes, that means she’s my cousin. Though sometimes-” She paused for a moment, shaking her head and looking at Huoying first the first time with complete and utter disgust. “I wish you weren’t.”  
Huo’s expression darkened, her lips moving but nothing came out of her mouth. No words at all, not even a sound. Not even a breath. The only thing Yu-Lei could hear was her heart pounding, every beat thumping against her ear drums as she felt anger and rage build up inside her.

The memory played out the same. Huoying crossed her arms, admonished Yu-Lei for what she said, implying that her and Xia were different. She remembered what Huoying had said, and remembered how it angered her, causing her to rush towards the mage with a fist in the air; until paused, rewound and played over and over in Yu-Lei’s mind; Huoying cowering back holding her paws up above her head, a look of fear in her face.

  


_Oh Fawn, don’t cry._

  


  
Yu-Lei sat with the fox, sobbing into her palms. The fox rested its head on Yulei’s leg, looking up at her with as much of a vulpine forlorn expression it could make. That was when the pandaren felt another presence, and a hand upon her shoulder. She somehow found reassurance in the touch, and the smell of fruits filling her nose followed.  
She couldn’t quite make out the figure though, her eyes still filled with tears. The fox yipped and yapped, and the figure seemed to step away in the back; awaiting its turn.  
The fox climbed into Yu-Lei's arms, pressing its wet nose against her cheek, and she realized it was hugging her, much like a humanoid would. She didn’t know what to do but hug it back, and the fox hopped back out of her arms as easily as it found its way in, sitting upright in the dirt  
“I just, I don’t hate Huo, I love her, I really do. I just don’t know how to take back what I said, Or to take back the threats. The way she looked at me when I was about to hit her... I should’ve known better but I lost my temper after what she said about Xia. I mean, even if she apologizes to Xia and she accepts, how’s she ever going to forgive me for that?” She mumbled, shrugging her shoulders and sniffling, looking to the fox with a defeated expression.  
“But I- I want to just.. All I wanted to do was tell her I was going to do something risky, but I don’t even remember what it was I was going to do.” Her sad expression caved why once more to a confused and puzzled look, shaking her head as her mind once again was blocked.  
“I just wish I treated her better. I don’t think she’d treat Xia like such a burden if she knew better is all... maybe neither of us were in the right then, I mean-” She looked to the fox, who nodded its head to encourage her. “We both acted like assholes to each other.”  
The fox tapped the ground, nodding its head and canted it to the side, leaning in, as if expecting more.  
“Celestials, she's such a jerk.”  
The fox was perplexed, sitting back in confusion. It looked off to the side, at the figure in the back, and it only shrugged in response. It turned tail and made a chuffing sound, and Yu-Lei looked on in confusion as the fox simply bounded away and out of sight.

  


_Oh Fawn, this simply won’t do._

  


  
“Alright who the hell is that?” Yu-Lei asked aloud, getting up to her feet and looking around, her eyes darting towards every shadow she could see. The voice was soft, and quiet, like whispers on the wind, but she couldn’t find the source. Instead she stopped as she faced the small figure, the smell of berries once more filling her nose as she approached it.  
“Are you here with the fox?” She inquired, her voice laced with caution. |  
“Maybe. I live in the forest, as does she. Does that mean we’re here together or just here by coincidence?” It asked.  
The voice didn’t match the whispers in the wind, that much Yu-Lei could tell, so she sat down, crossing her arms, her body slightly deflating. “Oh well... wait what does that even- oh never mind.” She looked towards the figure, eyeing it carefully, trying to place it to something she might have seen at one time or another, canting her head as it interrupted her.  
“No, you’ve never seen one of me before. That much I can tell you directly.” The thing smiled at her, and the efflorescence of the flowers among them brightened, and Yu-Lei could see it more clearly.  
“We call ourselves Tirnenn, and yes, you’re a pandaren. We know so much about your kind, and many others on Azeroth.” It nodded, smiling to the pandaren and offering her a large leaf bundle, tied off with string.  
Yu-Lei took the gift, eyeing the nuts and berries with a hungry eye and took a handful into her mouth, letting out a satisfied sigh. “I didn’t even realize I was hungry.” She said after clearing the content of the leaf, flattening the leaf against her leg and looking to the Tirnenn with her own genuine smile. “Thank you... what do I call you?” She asked, and the Tirnenn leaned over and took the leaf from Yu-Lei’s lap.  
“How about Tipa.” To Yu-lei’s ears it was less of a suggestion and more of a statement, but she nodded all the same.  
“Sounds good to me, Tipa.” She said, smiling and leaning back, although the second away from conversation immediately led her thoughts astray, and the Pandaren once again started to look around.  
“The fox... or the voice. Actually both? I’m not sure, I have some questions.” She said, looking to Tipa and leaning in close to it. “Where am I?”  
“Where do you think you are?” Tipa asked, the same smiling expression on their face.  
“Uh, well, in a forest.”  
“Then I guess the question is how you got here, isn’t it?”  
Yu-Lei opened her mouth and closed it, nodding her head quickly. “Yes, yes! How did you know that, did you listen to me talking to the fox or something?” She asked, and Tipa simply shrugged.  
“How did I get here?” She asked again, and was met with just another shrug.  
She scoffed, leaning back and looking up into the treeline, this time really trying to study the flora around her. “Why does so much stuff here glow?” She asked, turning her head to Tipa and after a few seconds shrugged. “I guess that’s just how things work here, this isn’t really a forest like I’ve seen on Azeroth.” She started, her brow furrowing. “And you said you know things about Azeroth... I’m not on Azeroth anymore.” She finished, looking to Tipa for some kind of confirmation but only receiving that same smile.  
“Well, I didn’t go through any portal. No- oh no, I was going somewhere. Going somewhere familiar. Pandaria?” She shook her head. “Wait no, I was leaving Pandaria, to go home in Orgrimmar. Right, and then I wound up spending the day with Kipter and Tycho.” She said, scratching at her head and looking at Tipa. “And Tycho was talking about Snarls, her hyena. He died, maybe.” She started, looking down at her palms and then touching her face and then the top of her head. “My mask is gone. I had my mask when I visited Tycho in Dalaran.  
She seemed to pause, freezing at this information; once again feeling above her head for her antlers first, and then over her face for the bone mask. “Yeah I had my mask. We spent the afternoon hanging out in Dalaran, because Orgrimmar was being attacked by zombies, or ghouls. Same thing. The Scourge was attacking, I remember, because I went home to visit my parents and then the monastery was rounding up the monks in the area to talk about it. And… and then I think- I was going to go back to Orgrimmar.” She said quietly, looking back to Tipa, who had gotten closer.  
“And?”  
“And, the guards wouldn’t let me in because there were ghoul sightings that morning, but I knew of another way in. It was this gate Tycho and I went to to smash light bulbs and have a talk. It wasn’t being watched, not like the main gate. I managed to reach the clinic... and…”

  
_'Oh there were definitely more than just ghoul sightings'_ , Yu-Lei thought, hiding within a bush as she watched Argent patrols mobilizing towards the Valley of Strength. She looked up, feeling at home as the tauren made totems toward tall in the sky, the bush she was huddled in safe under its presence. Yet the sounds in the air were different. She could hear fighting, swords, guns and the crackling of lightning. She could see and smell smoke, positive she could see fire off in the Valley of Honor.  
The Scourge were attacking in droves, and she managed to sneak into the city just as another wave was attacking.  
_‘Spectacular’_ , she shook her head as she timed her movement as another patrol passed by down the road and across the bridge, quickly making her way towards her home. It had once been the Oasis clinic, owned and operated by a family of vulpera that were friends of Tycho and Danru’s before the three of them had moved in- perhaps it still was. As far as Yu-Lei knew, no one had come for medical aid since the first family had left.  
So they had made it their home, in a way; even though it clearly started out as both clinic and home. There were additions, and mostly repairs done from mutual destruction caused by the two vulpera, but it was still a home. Even if she had been gone for far longer than intended, additional weeks over the single one she had planned. She jiggled the key into the clinic’s door, sighing in disappointment as it easily turned and opened; she had hoped to use the lockpicking set she had found in Dalaran, and to not break a law or incur wrath by doing so. There would be other opportunities though, ones that were planned out just for fun; there was no harm in a little lockpicking contest between friends after all.

Yet the inside of the clinic was something else. Things were in disarray, the inhabitants clearly rushed as they were evacuating; and Yu-Lei started to quietly gather objects, clothes and other personal effects from the living area. She went off to her area, gathering clothing and cleaning out a secret hiding spot she built into her dresser, pulling free a bag of gold. It wasn’t as though she worried her friends would take it; if anything she wanted nothing more than for them to do it. She just knew they would rather earn it, and she felt that it was easier to keep it around in case of a dire emergency.  
“If the undead invading isn’t a dire emergency I don’t know w-” Her externally internal dialogue was interrupted as she heard a plate fall and smash in the kitchen area. She froze, swearing to herself under her breath as she realized she forgot to lock the door behind her. She was down on her knees, pressed against her bed frame, and slowly crept along the side, peeking out as soon as she could.

The ghoul stood in the kitchen, whether it knowingly followed Yu-Lei inside or simply wandered in where there was an unlocked door, she couldn’t tell. It didn’t change the fact that it was inside the clinic, inside the home. A place that was supposed to be considered safe for its inhabitants; not only that but Orgrimmar itself was a place that Yu-Lei felt safety in; or used to.  
She stood up, taking the duffle bag of shared possessions she wanted to take back with her to Dalaran, and stopped. With a muffled clap her paws covered her mouth as she did her best to stifle a pained wail, her foot lifting up off the floor in pain. She looked down, a shard of glass sticking out from the underside of her sandal and into her foot and plucked it free- realizing her mistake seconds too late.  
The ghoul let loose a guttural screech, honing in on the fresh scent of blood and it barreled towards her. She screamed, lifting up her foot on instinct, turning her body sharply to the left to create enough force to kick the ghoul as hard she could. Except it caused a blinding pain; kicking with the foot that was still bleeding from the glass she stepped on. She cried out as she lost her balance, falling over onto the ground and let loose a blood-curdling scream as the ghoul immediately pounced upon her. She felt its claws sink into her flesh, and as adrenaline coursed through her body, she did something she had never done before. Her muscles tensed and she let out a bellowing cry, pushing out with her arms and sending the ghoul upwards to crash into the ceiling. She could feel her skin around the injury begin to burn, and her pain turned to anger. The ghoul was pinned to the ceiling somehow, and as Yu-Lei screamed she could feel something building up inside her. Before she could even blink, the creature simply exploded; bursting apart against the ceiling and showering the ground with coagulated blood and rotting gizzards.  
The pandaren vomited, from the surprise of what she had just done and the aftermath, and from the insanely fast fever her body had gone under. She knew what was going to happen. She knew she was going to die.

Yu-Lei cried out for Chi-Ji to save her, and she heard no response. She cried out for Yu’lon, for Xuen, for Niuzao, only to be met with silence. She prayed to them to cleanse her; to either purify her disease or to show her mercy and end her to save her from becoming part of the Scourge. She begged, and cried out, and was met with nothing. She turned her pleading to the Light; and yet was met with the same.  
She could feel herself burning up even more, coughing up, choking on her own fluids and she scratched at her throat. Her mask slipped off, sliding away a few feet from her as she crawled across the floor, and she stopped. She rolled over to her back, spitting out blood, and turning to the window, when she saw it. The moon.

  


_Fawn, please, snap out of it._

  


Yu-Lei couldn’t breathe. She felt her chest constrict and tighten, her body once again on fire, her shoulder the source of heat and pain. She touched it, remembered her injury and she vomited onto the dirt. She cried out, grasping at the grass, immediately breaking into sobs. She stopped making a noise, her grief striking her silent, and she rocked herself back and forth. She hadn’t even been aware that another figure appeared, this one with hooves, and she looked up as she felt it place a hand on her back.  
“I’m dead! Ohmy- ohno- I’m dead.” She wailed, hunched over on her paws and knees, rocking back and forth, the figure’s hand trying to rub her back reassuringly.  
“Miss... it’s okay. Please, breathe. Just remember to breathe.” The voice was soft, almost like it had spent a lifetime of nursing the injured. It was gentle, as a caregiver would be, and Yu-Lei felt her wails turn into sobs, and her sobbing soon turned into quiet hitching. Yet she kept rocking herself well into silence, and within moments; the world began to fade away again.

  


_That wasn’t the end of your story, was it Fawn?_

  


It was evening in Orgrimmar, and through the window of the clinic, the moon was bright and in full view. Yu-Lei’s breathing had become ragged, slow, feeling as though each breath had to be forced. She could see darkness closing in, and not only that, she could feel it. It wasn’t like going to sleep, no, it was like her limbs were becoming numb and then just becoming nothing but weight. Her body shuddered as she realized she had forgotten to take another breath, rasping and trying not to cough as she looked up out the window, the image of the moon instilling a calmness into her. And in that moment, something inside Yu-Lei clicked, and she whispered it at first before she started to hoarsely beg and plead not just to the moon; but to Elune, to whatever deity was in control of whatever she felt inside her. All of a sudden, the light of the moon turned into heat, and Yu-Lei felt herself engulfed in white-hot pain. She writhed against the floor, her body shocked into feeling once again and began to screech, heaving her body back into the floor, the sensation as if she were lit aflame.

Yet as quickly as she felt the heat all over her body, it was gone; leaving her to choke on her breath. She found she was able to breathe again and she sat upright, feeling herself over. “What the FUCK!” She gasped, touching her shoulder where the ghoul had dug into her, feeling that the flesh had healed over, the fur regrown. She was saved, but her salvation was caught short; in the corner of her eye she saw it. A shadow figure in the corner that started to stir and move, rushing her without a sound and then all she could feel was darkness again.

  
“Miss? Miss? Are you okay?” The same nurturing voice called out. The scenery had changed, and Yu-Lei began to come to; looking out over a deep, beautifully serene lake. The pandaren flinched back, carefully looking the figure up and down and let out a long breath, something about the figure had spooked her.  
“I-I’m sorry, I thought you were a draenei.” Yu-Lei whispered, her voice hoarse, and she winced at the burning sensation it left behind.  
“It’s okay, drink some of this. It’s tea... that is a favorite of you pandaren, no?” The figure asked, and Yu-Lei nodded her head, taking a long sip of the warm tea. It was clearly medicine, and she could feel its soothing effect soon enough. Yu-Lei opened her mouth to speak, but was once again gently shushed.  
“I am a Sylvar, we’re one of the many denizens of Ardenweald. You’ve met a few of them already, I’m so sorry. I should have been the one to come across you first to prevent exactly all of this-” They gestured in Yu-Lei’s general direction. “-And my name is Eri.”  
Yu-Lei looked to the sylvar, her face wavering and quivering, by all means signalling another incoming breakdown.  
“Oh, Yu-Leiyu, shh, don’t cry again.” Eri started, kneeling down and embracing the pandaren, holding onto her tightly. “Ardenweald is a spirit realm for those who pass on, those who are bonded deeply with nature. Now, think to yourself, the last thing you remember, it isn’t death, is it?” Eri asked, looking over to their side as Tipa walked up, Yu-Lei shaking her head in response.  
“Exactly, so just take another sip of tea and... oh, yes Tipa?”  
Tipa’s smile had faded into a neutral expression, offering Eri a wet cloth that the Sylvar thanked them for, pressing it against Yu-Lei’s brow.  
“She shouldn’t be here, Eri. Too soon. Much too soon.”  
“Does she know? Not Yu-Lei but... her?”  
“I think an early arrival isn’t even on the Winter Queen’s mind with the soul-drought-”  
Yu-Lei heard nothing more as she drifted into a deep slumber; every medicinal component of the tea finally settled in.

The scenery had once again changed and Yu-Lei stirred awake as she was being carried by Eri, and she cleared her throat. Eri chuckled, and gently set Yu-Lei down, shrugging their shoulders. “Sorry, I’m to guide you, but you seemed like you really needed the nap.” They said, politely smiling. From the sylvar’s side walked out the fox and Tipa, both of them looking at Yu-Lei with some measure of concern; although Tipa was the first to look away, the fox instead moved to Yu-Lei’s side and pressed her head into the pandaren’s leg.  
“She’s very happy you’re okay, Yu-Lei.” Eri said, and Yu-Lei nodded her head as the four of them continued to walk; only now did the monk realize that they were walking through the forest brush without a path. Even so, Eri looked like they knew exactly where the four needed to go, and something in the way the Sylvar held themselves was reassurance enough.

“So... I’m not dead?” Yu-Lei asked after what had felt to her like forever waiting for a perfect moment to speak. She looked to Eri, who shook their head.  
“Not uh, not quite? I mean, this is of course one of the places that those who passed one could possibly find themselves in, and you are here; yet not all of you is here.” They said, and Yu-Lei could feel the Sylvar’s gaze moving upward to the top of her head, and she once again brought her paws up to cover the space.  
“I... my mask. It’s gone. I think when that ghoul attacked me it came off. It has antlers on it, my grandmother made it for me.” She explained, her pink eyes gazing off towards the brush in front of them as Eri brushed away branches so they could press on.  
“It covers your face too? I wonder why you’re so scared to let others really see you.” Eri started, smiling in response to the confused look that the monk gave. “I mean, why else would you don a mask every day?”  
“How- how could you even know that?” Yu-Lei started, shaking her head and looking down to the fox, expecting some kind of answer only to get a playful yip.  
“You’ll see, Yu-Leiyu.”  
“Oh and that! How do you know my whole name?”  
Eri simply shrugged. “In time.” Was all they said, and with that, the four of them walked in silence.

  


_Fawn? Fawn, is that you?_

  


“My little fawn!”  
Yu-Lei froze as they cleared the final few steps from within the brush, walking into a clearing within the forest. They had come up to a hut, but the figure coming out wasn’t one Yu-Lei had ever expected to see again.  
Her grandmother.  
Yu-Lei’s face lit up bright, the flora underneath her glowing brightly in sync with the pandaren’s elation, and Eri smiled as they watched the girl clear the distance toward the hut on her own.  
The fox, the tirnenn and the sylvar followed, standing together in a line as they all watched Yu-Lei crash into her grandma, the older pandaren easily managing the force.

Zhenya Berrybrew, the late matriarch to the current Berrybrew lineage, was ecstatic. She easily lifted Yu-Lei as though she were once again a young cub, spinning in the spot and hugging the monk tightly and closely, setting her back down.  
“You remember me!” Yu-Lei chattered, her face avid with joy, burying her face back into her grandma’s shoulder, refusing to let go.  
Zhenya chuffed, patting her granddaughter on the back and nodding, content to just hold her in her arms again. “Of course I do. I remember everything here, my little snow fawn.” She said softly, placing a kiss on top of Yu-Lei’s head. “Oh, your antlers, you left them behind.”  
Yu-Lei pulled back, nodding. “My mask too.” She said, rolling her shoulders, her grinning slowly fading as she watched her grandmother’s expression turn stern. It wasn’t directed towards her however, instead, she turned her head, looking to the three who brought her here.  
“Grandma, what’s wrong?” She started, and Zhenya shook her head, smiling at Yu-Lei and holding up a finger.  
“What do you mean she’s here too soon?” Zhenya asked, looking to Eri first, then to Tipa. “You ran into her out of order?” She asked, and Yu-Lei looked with a perplexed expression, absolutely sure there was a conversation going on, but apparently one she wasn’t privy to.  
Instead, Eri, bowed their head, looking at Yu-Lei sadly and nodding before starting to speak. “I believe it’s like some of the other new arrivals to our lands. Not just Ardenweald, but everywhere. She woke up here sure enough, just like you planned, but much too early.”  
Zhenya slowly nodded her head, knowing that no one present could possibly be at fault, and finally turned her attention to the fox. “And Miya, how far did you get with them?” She started, and Yu-Lei opened her mouth.  
“You named a fox after Aunt Miya?” Yu-Lei started before the fox shimmered and after a split second, a pandaren woman stood in the fox’s place.  
“Well, she ended things off by saying Huoying was a jerk. Although it’s starting to sound like she deserved it, you should hear wh-” Miya was cut off as Yu-Lei lurched forward, immediately catching the pandaren who quickly broke down into sobs.  
“Ohh, Lei-Lei...” Miya started, chuckling as she gave Yu-Lei a tight, tight hug. “You’ve been crying so much ever since you got here. Don’t you think you’ve been doing that enough?” The pandaren asked, and Yu-Lei shook her head, pressing her balled up fists to her eyes.  
“N-no!”  
“No?”  
“No!”  
Miya sighed, and smiled warmly as she hugged her niece. “You know we’re all very proud of you. You did so much to help fight back the Legion, we all heard. Me, Auntie Ai, grandma.” She said quietly, slowly rocked side to side as Yu-Lei quietly cried. “We’re so proud of you... we’re so proud of you...”

  
It had been hours since Yu-Lei had reunited with her family, although she had once again tired herself out. Sure enough, as she opened an eye, the scenery had changed again, this time waking up on a soft bed across from a fireplace. She noticed beside her on a small table was a plate of food and a mug; and she quickly downed her meal. She was in a room, and the door hadn’t been shut all the way; Yu-Lei peeked out of the crack, scanning for what she could see. Around a table, Eri, Tipa, Miya and Zhenya all sat around it, some picking at food, or at drinks, or nothing at all, yet all discussing something.  
Their voices carried however, the group seemed sure that Yu-Lei was fast asleep.

“We need to find a way to send her back. There’s no reason for her to be here right now, Zhenya, you know that.”  
“Of course I know that Miya, but as Eri said, Yu-Lei could help here before going. The soul-drought. You and I both know she’ll step up to help if she hears about it anyway.”  
“Is it fair?” Tipa spoke up, looking to the pandaren with an inquisitive look. “To her, to her mortal friends, to the family she still has. Is it fair to send her back if she could help?”  
“What do you mean, Tipa?” Eri asked, canting their head to the side as they nibbled on a piece of dried fruit.  
“I mean besides the obvious question. Yes, it’s unfair to ask her to stay, especially when it’s not her time. But what if the soul-drought becomes worse. What if by sending someone perfectly capable of lending their aid; they return later on with a life fulfilled to nothing? How would she feel knowing she’s back among the living only die to and be sent to the Maw? That her friends and family will have that same fate?” Tipa pressed, looking at Zhenya and Miya who had grown silent.  
Eri broke the silence with a snap of the dried fruit, jerking their head back and gasping with surprise. “Sorry.” They murmured, and their brow lifted. “Oh, well, we don’t have to tell her about the soul-drought, or about the Maw.” They said with a firm nod, and Miya shook her head.  
“No, I don’t think that would work. She’s going to ask about Ai when she wakes up. Ai left to try and help find more Anima to do something about the drought as well, remember? Yu-Lei’s going to want to try and find her and see how things are going.” Miya paused, letting out a sigh. “I know I couldn't go back if I was offered, as much as I miss Huoying and Xia, I couldn’t just... ”  
“You wouldn’t leave without knowing your family is all safe and sound, neither would Yu-Lei.” Zhenya said, finishing Miya’s train of thought and shaking her head. “It’s just so much to burden her with.” She started, stopping as the group looked up in unison as the door creaked open.  
“Then don’t worry about burdening me with the choice. Of course I’ll choose to help.” Yu-Lei said, stepping out of the room with a look of pure confidence. “I mean, whatever this anima stuff is, I could find it. I could help. I can help find Auntie Ai too.” She said, looking to Miya with a nod.  
“Oh but Yu-Lei-” Zhenya started, letting out a sigh as she could easily see the determination in Yu-Lei’s face. “You... just need to remember who you are then.” The witch said, walking over to the monk and beckoning her over.

  
It was at that moment that Yu-Lei finally felt the weight upon her head. It had felt so completely normal and right that she hadn’t even noticed it when she woke up. She paused, turning as Zhenya gestured to her to look to the side of the room to a full length mirror, and she walked up to it. She brought up paws up to the top of her head, her fingers finally bumping into the familiar bone that usually sat upon her head; her antlers. “You made me a new mask?” Yu-Lei asked, smiling before actually taking notice in the mirror; her plain naked face looking back at her. She walked up to the mirror, parting her hair and staring wide eyed at her reflection; the realization that the antlers were now authentic and natural. Growing from her skull.  
“I don’t understand, what-? How does this- what even is this? Is it magic?” Yu-Lei asked, and Zhenya shrugged her shoulders.  
“Somewhat, yes. It’s a part of you that you always felt was meant to be though, remember? Ever since you were a little cub.” Zhenya smiled as she walked over to Yu-Lei, holding out for her a charm bracelet; the charms dangling from it made from a glittering silver metal, each in the shape of one of the moon’s phases. “‘Grandma, I want to be a deer’ You’d say.” Zhenya said with a chuckle, and watched as Yu-Lei put the bracelet on.  
“The antlers- well, your antlers, they’ll remind you of what you are. Who you are.” The pandaren witch said, returning to the group as Yu-Lei turned to look at them all. “You’re my little snow fawn, pure of heart, and with such strong courage. If you’re going to help those of Ardenweald, then, you can’t go on forgetting just how important you are to your family, and to your friends.  
“You’ve made mistakes, but it’s clear to see how much you’re willing to sacrifice just to have a chance to right those wrongs and make amends, and to secure safety for those you care about. Love is so much more than just the people you make connections with, it’s deep and profound sometimes, and it’s not just romance.”

Yu-Lei was silent, nodding as her grandmother spoke, and she smiled, looking up. “I do. I love all of them, my friends, my family. Even those I don’t love, I still care. If I can help beat this-this Maw thing, so that when it’s their time to go, they’ll actually have something to- to wake up to. I almost feel like I have to.” Her voice was strong, confident. She looked back to the mirror, smiling at her own reflection and she turned back to the group.  
“I’ll do my best. I promise.”


End file.
